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Issue No. 111 - May 9, 2004
by Sue Sweeney
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May was once known here as the “Flowering Moon”.
Flowering shrubs enjoyed in pre-Columbian times
included shad (serviceberry), crabapple, and our
wonderful flowering dogwood (cornus floridia). |
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picture: a classic
cornus florida in full flower, Revonah,
Stamford CT. May 2004 |
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| Ah, flowering dogwood, so photogenic and needing such
little care if properly situated and well established – no
pruning, spraying, raking. Cornus florida’s native range
extends from Ontario to Mexico; and it’s North Carolina’s
state flower. Horticulturists say that flowering dogwood
“almost over used” locally but who’s complaining?
Certainly not the birds and bees.
Flowering dogwood’s handsome red fruit, maturing
mid-fall, is poisonous to humans. However, here’s a
short list from the US Forest Service of the
critters who make the fruit a late season favorite:
northern cardinal, tufted titmouse, towhee,
grosbeak, thrasher, bluebird, junco, pileated
woodpecker, red-headed woodpecker, red-bellied
woodpecker, wild turkey, crow, grackle, starling,
eastern chipmunk, white-footed mouse, gray fox, gray
squirrel, black bear, beaver, white-tailed deer, and
skunk. Meanwhile beaver, rabbits, and deer browse
the winter branches.
According to the Forest Service, “the fruit is
particularly important to the American robin. Flocks
often move from the forest edge to the interior as
berries are depleted”.
Sadly, for the robins, cornus florida is
dying out in the wild due a fungus infection (an
anthracnose) that came into the USA with foreign
dogwood stock in the 1990’s. It’s predicted that
most of the wild dogwood will be gone in 20 years.
(And what will poor Robin do then, poor thing?) The
fungus is not as likely to strike plants living in
the open with more sun so most of the yard stock is
safe. If this doesn’t convince you to buy only
native plants, I don’t know what will. |
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picture: Morgan Street
alley, Stamford CT May 2004 |
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While we need to be careful of monocultures
(too many of a single kind of plant) since
they foster diseases like this killer, you
can, and probably should, continue to plant
flowering dogwood, if your area’s not
already overrun with dogwood-mad
householders. However, keep in mind that
we’re being urged to refrain from planting
any kind of dogwood near wild stands of
flowering dogwood as the new plants are
potential anthracnose carriers.
Also, to assure yourself care-free
plants, avoid planning cornus florida
in full sun as that encourages its other
main pest, the twig borer, and makes the
little trees more prone to drought and
winter damage. Too much shade will foster
the anthracnose. So find a nice morning sun
location with moist, well-drained, slightly
acid soil, and plenty of mulch, and you’ll
have a happy little tree. Flowering
dogwood’s not supposed to like salt (e.g.
from roads), urban pollution, drought and
flooding, but there are many in my
neighborhood that seem to handle these
things just fine. In fact the only problem
that established dogwoods in my neighborhood
seem to have is large patches of missing
buds as a result of hungry squirrels during
this past extra-cold winter. |
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picture: Morgan Street
alley, Stamford CT February 2004 |
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picture: Morgan Street
alley, Stamford CT March 2004 |
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picture: Morgan Street
alley, Stamford CT April 2004 |
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picture: Morgan Street
alley, Stamford CT May 2004 |
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Human uses: In past times, tea brewed
from flowering dogwood bark was used as a
quinine substitute to reduce fevers. The
plant contains cornine which is used
medicinally in parts of Mexico today. Some
Native Americans made a scarlet dye from the
roots. The wood is exceptional strong, and
thus good for making small, hard objects
such as tool handles and knitting needles.
Relatives: The cornus family has
about 50 members worldwide, most native to
North America or Eastern Asia. About half of
them are available for sale in the USA.
The European cornus you’re most likely to
see is the lovely Cornelian Cherry (Cornus
mas), with yellow flowers in the
earliest part of spring with the witch
hazels. The Asian dogwood most common in
much of North America is the Japanese or
Korean Dogwood (Cornus kousa)
which flowers about a month after our native
cornus florida.
Some notable native dogwoods:
The Bunchberry (Cornus
Canadensis) is a ground cover version of
the flowering dogwood, with similar flowers
and berries but it only gets 9” tall. . It
is hardy to, amazingly, Zone 2. By way of
comparison, Cornus florida can get winter
damage in Zone 5.
Red Osier dogwood (Cornus
sericea or stolonifera) is the
very popular one with the red stems in
winter. It’s also hardy to Zone 2 and
tolerates swampy conditions but also handles
drought when established. Like many North
American dogwoods, it has a flat cluster of
white flowers (kind of like Queen Ann’s
Lace). Its berries are white to gray. The
birds like the berries; humans use the
branches for basket making. It usually stays
small – under 10 feet.
The Alternate Leaf Dogwood (Cornus
alternifolia) is hardy Zones: 3 to 7,
grows 20 feet highin sun or shade, has
yellowish-white flower clusters and
bluish-black fruit (common with native
dogwoods); older trees have striped bark.
Fall leaf color is deep red. Birds and small
mammals eat the berries. The twigs are
markedly not deer- or rabbit-proof. |
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picture: Dentists’ office
3rd and Bedford Streets, Stamford CT May 2004 |
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P.S. Cornus Florida has
alligator-like bark |
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